Even before I stumbled on last week’s Gallup New York survey, I had been keeping a tab on Obama-related activities in Sierra Leone. So when the survey results showed that 68% of Sierra Leoneans voted for him as their preferred candidate, I was not surprised.
The results, based on face-to-face interviews with about 1 000 adults, also showed that 69% of Sierra Leoneans believe that whoever is elected president of the US will make a difference in their country.
The candidacy of Barack Obama made many Sierra Leoneans develop greater interest now than in previous US elections. To many Sierra Leoneans, Obama is like the long-awaited messiah who would save a world led by the US from crises – both political and financial.
His popularity soared when the word ‘global” – as in the ‘global crisis” wracking us now – became part of the lingo after it was reported to be the major alibi proffered by government functionaries as a cover for their own ineffectiveness.
His skin colour is a key determinant for some; his oratorical skill did it for others. But in general, many people can’t pinpoint their reason for choosing Obama as their favourite.
Last week I saw two adjacent cars in rush-hour traffic snaking on Sanders Street, in the central part of Freetown, with Obama ’08 stickers on their rears. I was amused. And I decided to take a careful look at the occupants of both cars.
In the first, I saw a middle-aged woman with a Catholic rosary dangling by the rearview mirror of the first. The driver of the other car was clad in a manner suggesting he was a Muslim scholar or cleric.
This illustrated another point: support for Obama in Sierra Leone transcends religious barriers. It also transcends age: Obama’s image can be seen pinned on garments of young and old Sierra Leoneans.
One of Sierra Leone’s online discussion forums reports that the people of Bo Town (Sierra Leone’s second largest city) are preparing to celebrate Obama’s victory. The reason: the town’s paramount chief said that Obama’s initials, BO, represent their town and what they stand for.
Olusegun Ogundeji is the Freetown bureau chief for the IDG News Service